Some things survive because someone refuses to let them disappear. Sometimes, they remind us why we must do the same.
There are things in life that we almost lose without realising what they mean.
The Survivor is one such story.
This artwork is more than 40 years old. At one point, it was considered a discarded piece, something that had outlived its purpose and was destined to be thrown into a fire. It was going to be burned along with things nobody thought were worth keeping.
But I couldn't let that happen.
I saved it.
I kept it with me for more than 30 years. Through different phases of my life, different places, different struggles and different versions of myself, this piece remained with me.
I didn't necessarily know what it would become. I didn't have a grand plan for it. I simply believed it deserved to survive.
Looking back, I realise that perhaps I was preserving something much more meaningful than an old piece of art.
I was preserving a reminder.
We often imagine survival as something dramatic. We think of people fighting impossible battles, overcoming extraordinary obstacles or making heroic decisions.
But survival is not always dramatic.
Sometimes, survival is getting out of bed when you don't know how to face another day.
Sometimes, it is continuing to work when everything seems to be falling apart.
Sometimes, it is admitting that you don't know what to do, but choosing to learn rather than surrender.
And sometimes, survival is simply refusing to give up on the possibility that things can become better.
There are moments when life puts us in situations we don't understand. We feel overwhelmed. We want to run away. We become numb, unable to think clearly or even identify what the next step should be.
We may lose our confidence. We may question our decisions. We may begin to believe that nothing we do will make a difference.
In those moments, two responses are common.
We either want to escape, or we become so overwhelmed that we stop knowing how to move forward.
I have come to believe that neither has to be the end of our story.
Belief is often misunderstood.
People think that believing in something means being confident, knowing exactly what to do, and having no doubts.
I don't think that is true.
Sometimes, belief is all you have when confidence is gone.
It is choosing to take one more step when you cannot see the entire path. It is accepting that you might not have the answers today, but believing that you can educate yourself, understand your circumstances and find a way forward.
We must never stop educating ourselves.
Education is not limited to classrooms, universities or certificates. It is the continuous process of understanding the world, understanding ourselves and learning how to deal with the situations life places before us.
When we don't know what to do, we can learn.
When we make mistakes, we can understand them.
When we lose our way, we can look for another direction.
We may not control everything that happens to us, but we can continue developing the ability to respond.
And perhaps that is one of the most important forms of survival.
I don't think this artwork survived simply because I kept it.
It survived because, at some point, someone believed it was worth saving.
That thought has stayed with me.
How many things, ideas, dreams and possibilities do we discard because we fail to recognise their value at the time?
How many times do we give up on ourselves because we cannot see what we might become?
How often do we mistake a difficult chapter for the end of the entire story?
The Survivor reminds me that something does not lose its worth simply because it has been discarded, forgotten or overlooked.
It reminds me that our present circumstances do not necessarily define our future.
And above all, it reminds me that hope is not something we should casually surrender.
You don't need to know how everything will work out. You don't need to have a perfect plan. You don't even need to feel strong every day.
But keep learning. Keep looking for possibilities. Keep believing that another chapter can exist.
Never allow a difficult moment to convince you that your entire story is over.
Today, after more than four decades of existence, The Survivor has found a new purpose.
I am offering this artwork for acquisition, with the intention of dedicating 100% of its net proceeds, after applicable costs and deductions, towards expanding access to education through educational initiatives powered by technology and AI.
My journey has taken me through physics, technology and education. I have seen how access to knowledge can influence the opportunities available to a person.
I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to learn, explore, develop their abilities and discover what they are capable of, regardless of their financial circumstances.
I want this artwork to contribute to that belief.
Something that was once considered worthless and destined for a fire was saved. More than 40 years later, it has an opportunity to help create opportunities for others.
There is something deeply meaningful to me about that journey.
Perhaps that is what The Survivor was always meant to represent. Not just the survival of an object, but the survival of belief itself.
I don't know who will eventually acquire The Survivor or where it will find its next home.
But I hope whoever owns it understands that they are acquiring more than an old artwork.
They are becoming part of a story about preservation, resilience, education and hope.
A story that began when someone decided not to throw something away.
And perhaps that is the message I want to leave with you:
When life becomes difficult, don't be too quick to discard yourself, your dreams or your possibilities.
You may not know what to do today. You may feel lost. You may feel that you have nothing left to offer.
But you can learn. You can grow. You can begin again.
The strongest roots grow through the hardest ground.
And sometimes, the things that survive the fire have the most important stories to tell.
The Survivor is an artwork by Abhimanue Udayan, an independent artist, educator and technology entrepreneur from Kochi, Kerala, India.
